Ah, Gunship. If you've flown your IBM long, that name is bound to take you
back. In 1986, when XTs and EGA still ruled the MS-DOS world and sound meant
only that poor, nasal-voiced speaker, MicroProse brought out the helicopter
simulation and quickly made the computer-game skies its own.

By today's standards, that Apache gunship simulation seems quaint--a rather
unadorned world of pyramidlike mountains and amorphous targets. But that
hardly mattered back then. It felt real. The air was always thick with
threat, and the game was absolutely riveting until you limped back to base for
your medal (or so you hoped).

In the fast few years, MicroProse has been upgrading its classic
meat-and-potatoes games to filet-mignon level: F-15, Silent Service, and, just
recently, F-19 Stealth Fighter. It was only a matter of time before the
company returned to its five-year old Gunship. It's surprising that it look
as long as it did.

The result is Gunship 2000, and it's just what the title suggests; a leap
forward. It's the best helicopter simulation around. While Gunship fans will
find some elements broadly and happilu familiar--the target-camera view, the
in-flight map, the primary and secondary missions--the heart of the game has
been retooled. Guess what. It's still absolutely riveting.

What's new? Well, for starters, Gunship 2000 has spread its wings. Included
are no fewer than seven types of helicopter--from the Apache to the Blackhawk,
the Comanche to the Kiowa Warrior. Once you've advanced to the rank of secon
lieutenant, you can command a packet of five helicopters. (And you thought it
was tough enough controlling just one!) These small-unit operations are the
heart of game, its reason for being. Computer gaming is traditionally a
rather solitary activity, but with these folks on your wing, you won't feel
alone for long.

A fascinating array of missions complements this mode. You may find yourself
running recon, finding and picking up troops, hauling in supplies, or hitting
targets far behind enemy lines. And then there's a full campaign option as
well, with an arduous schedule of combat missions. You're going to be busy,
friend. When you start to play, though, you'll be able to choose only between
training and single-chopper combat missions. There's so much to take in here
that it's hard to know where to start. On that score, hats off to MicroProse
for another superior manual.

Let's try the air over central Europe--one of two combat theaters included
with the game--at 75 feet up and 125 miles per hour, fresh out of ammo, and
with Soviet Hind choppers circling like mechanical vultures. (Toto, I don't
think we're on traffic patrol anymore!) With greater control over the machine
comes a much more vivid impression of speed. Gunship 2000 takes off when
flying close to the surface on a fast machine, and if that's still not speedy
enough, you can use time compression to get to the target area with dispatch.
(The autopilot also comes in handy here.)

VGA definitely has worked its charms on the program. This is a beautiful game
in flight and out of it. Europe, the ground below is an enchanting patchwork
of hills and dales; in the Gulf, make that palm trees and boulders. Roads
have acquired telephone poles. Bullet holes may pockmark your windshield if
you get careless. Explosions have texture, and hits have your enemy smoking.
Enemy targets sometimes aren't just a single vehicle, but a full unit that
will require a few hits to take out. Get the picture? There's a lot more
game here.

All this is choreographed by digitized speech reporting on the direction of
targets, the approach of incoming fire, and the success of your own salvos.
On machines using Roland or IBM sound, the speech comes through the PC's
internal speaker. It's actually a nice, crusty effect, as though heard over
an intercom, but on those systems--and systems equipped with the Ad Lib sound
card--the game pauses when speech is heard. Not exactly a blow for realism.
However, delivery was crisp and delay-free on my Sound Blaster.

When flying flight sims, I've often cursed myself for not shifting to an
outside view quickly enough to watch my weapons do their nasty business.
That's a good deal of the fun, after all, and Gunship 2000 has several
handsome exterior views.

But suppose you forget to look in the heat of battle. It's all been taken
care of. After you've landed, you'll have an opportunity to see a
post-mortem--I mean, a replay--of your flight from any position you care to
adopt. There's no reason to miss a thing and no need to invoke a replay mode
first. The files generated can be traded with other Gunship 2000 pilots.

Indeed, there's not a part of Gunship 2000 that doesn't make a mark. As you
leaf through the briefing, you can hear the soft scrape of paper on paper. If
you're still finding your way in the game, there's an option to have the
computer take care of firing weapons and defensive countermeasures. Even the
countersign required by the copy protection feels like part of the game.

You may find it hard to resist Gunship 2000's more casual charms, as well.
The selection screen back at Brigade HQ--where you pick the active pilot,
theater of duty, and mission type--just barely looks like a selection screen.
The desk officer really seems to be writing. Watch those fingers and dig the
curt little nod he gives you when you click on him for an assignment. (Try
clicking on the computer screen at the back of the room a few times for some
undocumented fun.) None of this has much to do with how well you fly, but
it's charming and immensely satisfying in some way. It makes you feel as if
you're really in Gunship 2000, not just a visitor with $69.95 plus tax.

That's not the end of it, either. MicroProse has never been a company just to
boot the baby birds out of the nest to fly or fall, and Gunship 2000 proves no
exception. MicroProse is upgrading the program on a regula
basis--incorporating user suggestions, fixing bugs, adding features. The most
recent upgrade (as of mid November) is 469.05, and Gunship devotees will want
to make it a point to download the file from an electronic bulletin board
where the company provides customer support or obtain it directly from
MicroProse.

The game's not quite perfect; no game is. As you might guess, with all this
good stuff going on, Gunship 2000 can be rather stodgy at 12 MHz. (A minimum
speed of 10 MHz is recommended, and you can always chop away some of the
detail to improve performance.) Even at 33 MHz, while speedy and smooth, the
game doesn't have quite the raucous, branches-slapping-your-face speed I'd
associate with seat-of-the-pants chopper flying.

While add-on theaters are promised, the two included don't seem to be nearly
enough, and overtaken by recent events, central Europe isn't as inviting a
hunting zone these days (unless BMWs are legitimate targets). The digitized
voice also seemd a mite too loud on my Sound Blaster.

Ok, I'm being pickly. But I don't mind picking a little, because the rest of
Gunship 2000 is so good. None of the minor problems make much difference when
you're outbound at treetop level, Primary Target finally pops up on the
target-camer screen, a Hellfire under your wing ignites, and the night sky
blossoms with its impact. Home, James, and step on it.